Craft beer a feature at 2013 festival

A number of
favourite and exciting new craft beers are being prepared to
feature for the taste buds of visitors at next week’s
Blues Brews and BBQs festival in Hawke’s Bay.

The
one-day event will be held inside the Waikoko Gardens at the
Hawke’s Bay Showgrounds in Hastings on Saturday, January
19.

It is a celebration of the traditional Kiwi summer
lifestyle, mixing live music with food and beverage stalls
which will offer various craft beer, cider and wine options
during the day.

This year there are five traders
offering craft beer at the festival including Roosters
(Hastings), Aotearoa Breweries (Gisborne) Hawke’s Bay
Independent Breweries (Meeanee, Napier) and Tuatara
Breweries (Auckland).

Hawke’s Bay man Jim Popplewell,
who organizes the annual Beer Appreciation Day event in the
Bay with business partner Hugh Grierson from Hopscotch Beer
Company in Auckland, will also offer five new craft beer
labels to the festival for the first time.

“We are craft
beer enthusiasts and want to bring a whole lot of new
exciting beers to the Bay and encourage people to sample
them, to support New Zealand craft breweries.

“As part
of that we ran a small stall at last year’s Blues Brews
event and organizer Kevin Murphy asked if we could come back
this year with a wider range of beers.

Mr Popplewell said
Crouchers was a well-known West Coast New Zealand craft beer
while he was excited about Wellington’s Parrot Dog and
Garage Project which were considered the “emerging
stars” of the industry.

Roosters Brew House, on Omahu
Rd, Hastings, has been operating for 19 years and began
showing its craft beers at the festival in 2003, when the
event started 10 years ago.

Owner Chris Harrison said it
was an excellent chance to show its product to new customers
each year.

“There are always beer enthusiasts that come
along to the festival who might not have tried our brews
before as well as the loyal and regular
customers.

“It’s a good chance also to see what other
craft beers are being offered, there’ always new beers on
the circuit, something new and exciting.”

This year
Roosters will offer a few new options, including an American
pale ale and Weiss wheat beer.

Well known
singer/songwriter Rikki Morris and his band The Situation
will headline the mix of well-known up and coming artists
who will perform at this year’s festival.

Talented
female three-piece band, JAM, from Hawke’s Bay will also
perform along with Jack Derwin, an Australian blues, roots,
jazz singer; Dirtbox Charlie, an emerging soul/blues band
from Palmerston North.

Wellington’s Ash Graham, whose
music has a rock, folk edge, will also appear at the
festival with Those Great Destos, a rock band which has “a
touch of Irish”.

To keep track of all the excitement,
the Blues Brews mobile phone app was launched to provide a
complete programme, including information on the
entertainment, food and craft beer providers at the
event.

Hawke’s Bay telecommunications company NOW, is
offering free Wi-Fi at the showgrounds for people to access
the mobile phone app, which will mean people won’t have to
use their own download data while at the event.

There will
also be a dodge ball competition and sharp shooter games
hosted by Hawke’s Bay United football club and another by
the Hawks basketball team.

Those coming along “in
character” dressed as their favourite super hero or
celebrity will be eligible for the fancy dress competition
which will be judged by the event’s MCs towards the end of
the day.

The festival opens at 2.30pm and will close at
9.30pm. Tickets are $40 plus booking fee, from January 12
until January 19, 2013.

Frontier Touring has today announced that the Foo Fighters will play a last minute intimate and exclusive benefit show at the Auckland Town Hall this Friday February 20 with all profits going to The New Zealand Music Foundation. More>>

ALSO:

Six short-listed designs for the Canterbury Earthquake Memorial have been released for public input... The Memorial will honour the victims of Canterbury’s earthquakes and acknowledge the suffering of all those who lived through them as well as the heroism of those who participated in the rescue and recovery operations. More>>

ALSO:

Social justice advocate Celia Lashlie leaves a legacy that will continue to have a positive impact on the lives of New Zealanders for years to come, Labour Leader Andrew Little says. “Celia was a powerful voice for reason, sense and compassion. Her work, particularly with teenage boys, was ground-breaking." More>>